Rome, Italy It’s an early start today, as we have booked a private guide for the day, starting at the Colosseum. As is per our want we walked from our apartment as the owner, Adriano said it was only 1km down the road. 45 minutes later we arrived, already hot and sweaty, to meet our guide for the day, Sara. Thanks Adriano, me thinks more like 3km! First stop, The Colosseum. Impressively large, with a capacity in its day of about 70,000. The crowds build quickly and early, so we are soon jostling the tour groups for the better vantage points and camera opportunities….thank God I’m tall. Spent about an hour looking around this outstanding stadium, imagining Russell Crowe all the while. Actually the film Gladiator definitely helped image life in this cruel place. Next stop, the Roman Forum, the ruins of the houses of the ruling parties. It’s also where the cremation site of Julius Caesar is, behind a large stone sculpture wall. It’s a plain dirt pile only distinguished by some old flowers …